The Hour of Code is a one hour intro to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anyone can learn how to do it. This week is national Computer Science Education Week, and the Hour of Code campaign is a great way to learn an intro to coding and computer science.
Code.org is a great resource for coding lessons, as is Khan Academy. There are many others, most available on Chromebooks! I hope you all take a minute to learn some code this week!
Last year 15 million students worldwide learned an hour of code
More girls tried computer science last year than ever before
There are coding applications at all age and ability level
Last night, our fantastic sixth grade teacher Mr. McGinty was honored as a California Educator of the Year. We recognize his dedication to his students and excellent teaching here at Lakeview. How lucky we are to have him!
Please take a minute to read Mr. McGinty's message to his students. If you see him, be sure to say congrats or give him a high-five.
Thank You, Students! As many of you know, I received a special honor as a teacher last night. Thank you to all of you who have encouraged and supported me leading up to this special event. I'm especially grateful to the team of girls in 6th period yesterday who borrowed their mothers' make-up kits and diligently tried to disguise my black eye (I ended up removing the make-up, but I hope you don't think I looked too bad). In my speech I made sure to thank you, my students, because you are the reason I do what I do. You inspire me, motivate me, challenge me, and make coming to school each day a joy. I appreciate each of your for who you are as individuals and the contributions you make to our classroom community. I feel like the luckiest teacher in the world! Thanks again for all you do!
Your digital footprint, or what you post online, can be seen by a large invisible audience. Today you'll learn how to take control of your digital footprint based on what you post online.
Watch a video explaining what a Digital Footprint is.
Passwords protect your online accounts from being stolen or used by others. The older you get, the more important password security will become. Choosing good passwords will help protect your social networking profiles, keep your grades private, and protect your online accounts. Watchthis short videoon creating a Secure Password. Here are some guidelines to creating passwords that are both secure and easy to remember:
use at least 8 characters
use a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. Capitals are a good idea too.
Think of a word or phrase you can remember, then change a few of the letters to numbers or special characters (for example Gi@nts2014)
Strong Passwords handout can be found here. When your teacher asks you to, pleaseclick here to go to the PVUSD accounts portaland then click the link to go to the password reset page. Once you're done, log out of your Chromebook and log back in a few times to practice it. If you forget your newly updated password, please go to the library or ask your teacher to contact Emily.
Did you know that you can edit the brightness or contrast, crop, and edit photos with Chrome's built in photo viewer tool? Simply download and open the image, then access a variety of tools on the bottom right corner of the Chrome image viewer. Read OMGChrome's blogpost for more detailed directions.
Hey Eagles! Many of you have been having problems with your Chromebooks not turning on or not charging. Please make sure that you TURN OFF your Chromebook completely at night when it's charging. It's ok to close the lid when going from class to class, but they need to be shut down occasionally. We all need rest sometimes!
Wednesday, September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day. How do you help a friend who has mentioned suicide? Take it seriously. Follow some of these helpful steps from yspp.org:
Show you care:
Let your friend know that you really care. Ask about his or her feelings. Listen carefully to what he or she has to say. Here are some examples of how to begin the conversation:
“I’m worried about you/about how you feel.”
“You mean a lot to me and I want to help.”
“I’m here if you need someone to talk to.”
Ask the question: Are you thinking about suicide?
Talking with a friend about suicide will not put the idea into his or her head. Be direct in a caring, nonconfrontational way. Here are some ways to ask the question:
“Have you ever thought about suicide?”
“Do you want to die or do you just want your problems to go away?”
Get Help:
If a friend tells you he or she is thinking of suicide, never keep it a secret, even if you're asked to. Do not try to handle the situation on your own. You can be the most help by referring your friend to someone with the professional skills necessary to provide the help that he or she needs. You can continue to help by offering support. Here are some ways to talk to your friend about getting help:
“I know where we can get some help.”
“Let’s talk to someone who can help. Let’s call the crisis line now.”
“I can go with you to get some help”
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Students, please remember to charge your Chromebooks before the battery completely drains out. When you see the 5% battery warning is when you should plug in. This will help maintain battery life and prevent your Chromebook from "dying". Thanks!
I will be distributing new chargers beginning today (Tuesday) at 6th period. If you do not have a working charger please come exchange it immediately! Make sure you bring the non-working charger with you to receive a new one.
Check out Ms. Adams's seventh graders participating in their first Google Hangout! Students asked and answered questions about school culture with Mr. Donegan's class at Rolling Hills Middle School. How can this make our community safer and stronger?
Please keep your Chromebooks in their cases when you are not in class or in the library. They should not be out during break or lunch.
You must turn in a dead charger to receive a new one. If yours is not working, and you are on the list for a replacement, please keep it with you and bring it to the library when we call you in.
Most of you have received your Chromebooks during registration and are ready to go. A few important pieces of information as we prepare to launch our second year using these devices:
Students who have not received Chromebooks, please check in with Elsa on Monday during lunch in the library. We will take down your name and issue you a Chromebook as soon as possible.
Just like last year we are struggling with a shortage of working chargers. More (and better!) chargers are on their way to us, so hang in there. If you have a friend or sibling, please share. Remember that the majority of the problems with chargers are caused by the plug being bent when inserted into the Chromebook. Plug yours in very carefully!
For help accessing your Google Drive, or if your Chromebook won't connect to the internet try to track down Emily. She is often in the library or walking around campus.
Have a great year, Eagles!
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Thanks to all of you wonderful students for taking my survey. It's been really fun reading your thoughts, and I appreciate the many words of thanks for your teachers, Mr. Woods, and I in making the program so successful this year.
Here's a word cloud made from the answers you gave to some of the questions. Can't wait to teach you more about Chromebooks next year.
Students, here's a way for you to help make Lakeview's Chromebook program even better next year. Before you are asked to check in your Chromebook this week, please help your parent(s) complete a survey about your Chromebook experience this year. Tuesday morning during first period you will also be asked to complete your own survey.
Happily, Summer is right around the corner. Because the year is coming to a close, we will begin checking Chromebooks in a week from tomorrow. Students, please refer to the schedule below, and make sure you do the following:
Save anything from your Downloads folder onto a USB Drive
Fill out this form to let Emily know if there is anything that needs to be fixed before you check it in.
Students - over the next few days your teachers are going to be asking you to move files into some new folders so that they'll be able to access them and grade your workmore easily. If you need more help with it, read this guide I put together for you. Remember, please don't move or rename your new folders. Let me know if you have any questions.
By now I'm sure you've all noticed the six new folders that have appeared in your Drive. In a few days I will be working with your teachers on how to better access the work you produce for them - and they will then be asking you to transfer files into some of the new folders. Please do not do this until your teacher (or Emily) instructs you to do so. Here's a sample of what your drive might look like now:
Please do NOT move, rename or delete these folders or create new folders with the same name. Gracias!
Teachers and students, please be aware that new folders and files are being generated and added to your Google Drive by Emily for future use. Please do not delete these folders or move them into other folders. You will learn more later.
